— DEPORTED ACCUSED WERE CHANNELISING TERROR FUNDS THROUGH OFFSHORE ACCOUNTS TO KZF OPERATIVES IN PUNJAB: DGP GAURAV YADAV
— BOTH ACCUSED WERE APPREHENDED BY PUNJAB POLICE AT IGI AIRPORT IN NEW DELHI
CHANDIGARH, June 19:
In a major intelligence-led operation amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Police, with the cooperation of Central Agencies, has successfully secured the deportation of two wanted operatives linked to the banned Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) from Malaysia, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Friday.
The accused were apprehended by Punjab Police at IGI Airport in New Delhi, upon their arrival and brought to Punjab for further investigation.
“The two accused, identified as Gurwinder Singh, a resident of Ambala and Manjeet Singh, a resident of Patiala, were key Malaysia-based nodes of a KZF-backed terror module involved in targeting critical railway infrastructure, including the Dedicated Freight Corridor lines in Punjab,” said the DGP.
The development came after dedicated efforts by Punjab Police since busting of the terror module behind the IED explosion at Sirhind Railway Track on Jaunary 23, 2026, and an attempted explosion on the same track at Shambu in Patiala on April 27, 2026 with arrest of four highly radicalised individuals. During the investigation, police teams had recovered militant hardware including one Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launcher, one metallic IED weighing 2.296 kg along with detonators and battery, two packs of RDX weighing 1.456 kg, two hand grenades, six high-end pistols along with magazines and ammunition from their possession.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that subsequent investigations into the forward and backward linkages of the transnational conspiracy uncovered the involvement of KZF handlers and financial facilitators operating from Malaysia. The deported accused were found to be instrumental in channeling terror funds through offshore accounts to KZF operatives in Punjab, facilitating plans to execute terrorist attacks to disturb peace and public order in the state, he said.
He said that both accused were produced before the competent court in Patiala on Thursday, and have been remanded to police custody for further interrogation. Investigations are ongoing to unravel the broader network and identify all individuals involved in the conspiracy, he added.
Meanwhile, on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, under the Counter Intelligence (CI) wing, Punjab Police has established Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC), headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Counter Intelligence Ashish Choudhary, to reach out the criminals sitting abroad and expedite their extradition process to bring them back to Punjab to face legal action.
